Playing GM: 1 Year of Moves to Make the Hornets a Contender in the East

Here's how the Hornets can become a true contender in just one year.

Jeff Peterson, Hornets GM | Charlotte Hornet

The Charlotte Hornets may not have been a true playoff contender last year, but they did seem close. Nevertheless, GM Jeff Peterson opted to push the true contention down the line to hopefully build a more sustainable team.

The Hornets don't necessarily have to make that leap this year and offseason, but they can make some moves to jump into that status by opening night 2027.

Move 1: Extend Brandon Miller

Charlotte Hornets forward Brandon Miller (24) reacts to his thee-point basket | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Brandon Miller's extension should be high on the to-do list. While there's a risk in doing it now, there's also a possibility that an extension sooner rather than later will save the Hornets money. Right now, he's probably not quite worth the max extension.

But the Hornets can still extend him for five years and roughly $200 million instead of the maximum $251 million he could earn, and it ensures the Hornets don't overpay or risk letting him enter restricted free agency.

Move 2: Trade Grant Williams at the deadline

I like Grant Williams, and I think he's an excellent backup for the Hornets. That said, he's also on an expiring contract on a team without ample cap space, and the team doesn't appear poised for contention this year.

In this scenario, the Hornets will meander to a decent record by the deadline but still trade Williams for a couple of future second-round picks, which is better than letting him walk for nothing. Those picks aren't highly valuable, but they can help in future trades.

Move 3: Waive/trade Dorian Finney-Smith

This is a simple one, but after the season, move on from Dorian Finney-Smith. If he's rebuilt his value enough (assuming he makes it to the roster this season), then trade him. If not, waive him, since the contract is not guaranteed beyond this season anyway.

Move 4: Re-sign/extend Moussa Diabaté

Maybe the Hornets don't want Moussa Diabaté to be an undersized starting center for them, which is why they drafted Hannes Steinbach. Regardless, the center is way too valuable to simply let walk. His contract expires after this year.

The Hornets will have to pay up, though probably not exorbitantly. However, bringing back Diabaté is crucial, as he's one of the best on/off players in the NBA. He plays winning basketball, and that's what Charlotte needs.

Move 5: Trade for Trey Murphy

Spotrac

The Hornets have three potential first-round picks in the 2027 NBA draft, and they really don't need all of them. Packaging two of them and matching salaries could land them an intriguing talent. In this case, that should be Trey Murphy.

The New Orleans Pelicans are not contending now, and Murphy is going to be more expensive in the next few years. The Hornets need a true three-and-D wing, and Murphy would fit in really well with what the Hornets like to do.

Move 6: Draft Cameron Williams

With the lone remaining first-round pick, the Hornets can keep the Duke pipeline alive by selecting Cameron Williams. That Dallas Mavericks pick is likely to convey outside the top two, but it won't land outside the top 10 in all likelihood.

Therefore, the Hornets can get a really good prospect to add to the current core that includes Coby White, Kon Knueppel, Brandon Miller, Trey Murphy, Hannes Steinbach, Moussa Diabaté, and Christian Anderson Jr.

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